The Secret World Breaks Funcom Beta Records, Ready for Retail

According to developer Funcom, quite a few people are eager to go straight to hell this weekend. More than 1.3 million individuals have registered as potential beta testers for The Secret World, Funcomís upcoming MMO exploring the seedy underbelly of humanity and the dark forces threatening to rip it apart.

Set for a July 3 launch, The Secret World is primed to enter its third (and almost final) beta weekend from June 15-17, opening up content to include a couple of new classes to tinker with and areas to explore. With more than a million folks chomping at the bit to get in, Funcom recently announced via its blog that this was the single biggest pre-launch success for the company to date. Funcom also announced that The Secret World has gone gold, so donít expect last minute delays into the fall or anything like that.

Finding your own spot in the beta shouldnít be too difficult. A pre-order of the game guarantees inclusion for all beta weekends leading up to the launch in early July.

While earlier betas only gave players access to the Templar class and the town of Kingsmouth, this weekendís foray into the underworld will open up the Dragon and Illuminati classes. Players will be able to the Savage Coast region and two dungeons, The Polaris and Hell Rising.

For more information on The Secret World, pre-orders, or to sign up for possible inclusion in the upcoming beta weekends without reserving a copy of the game, visit the Funcom site.